"Welcome to My World" is a popular music standard written by Ray Winkler and John Hathcock and recorded by many artists, most notably Jim Reeves. The melody was likely written by Eddie McDuff rather than Winkler.[1] A traditional love song, the bridge includes lyrics taken from Matthew 7:7–8 ("Knock and the door will open; seek and you will find; ask and you'll be given ... ," from the Sermon on the Mount).
| "Welcome to My World" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Jim Reeves | ||||
| from the album A Touch of Velvet | ||||
| B-side | "Good Morning Self" (U.S.), "My Juanita" (UK) | |||
| Released | May 1963 (UK), January 1964 (U.S.) | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Ray Winkler John Hathcock | |||
| Jim Reeves singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Jim Reeves version
editThe most famous version was performed by country music singer Jim Reeves, who styled the song in his favoured style of Nashville Sound. Reeves' version was included on his 1962 album A Touch of Velvet and was released as a single in the United States in early 1964, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in the spring of that year. It was also occasionally aired on pop radio stations, reaching the No. 2 spot on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. The song became one of Reeves' last major hits in the U.S. during his lifetime, as he was killed in a plane crash on July 31, 1964.
Reeves' version had been a hit single in the United Kingdom prior to its release as a single in the U.S., peaking at No. 6 in July 1963,[2] and reaching No. 60 on the list of the top 100 best-selling singles of 1963 in the UK.[3]
A Dean Martin version of the song also appears on Martin's album of the same title.[4]
Chart performance
edit| Chart (1963–1964) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 6 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles[5] | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 | 2 |
Usage in media
editThe song was used in a 2008 UK advertisement for Thomson's Holidays.[6]
In 2010, the song was used in Mad Men, Season 4 Episode 11, "Chinese Wall".
In 2020, a cover based on the Dean Martin rendition was used in an advertisement for Apple Arcade.[7]
In 2020, Better Call Saul played the song during the opening flash-forward scene of "Magic Man", Season 5 Episode 1.[8] An abridged version was also used in the Season 5 trailer of the series.
In 2022, the song was used in the Prime Video series Night Sky.
Wickes began using a cover of "Welcome to My World" by British singer-songwriter Remi Nicole in advertisements in 2022, continuing in 2023.[9]
The first trailer for 2024's Godzilla × Kong: The New Empire uses an arrangement of the song.[10] It is used in the film's opening scene.
References
edit- ^ Jordan, Larry (2011). Jim Reeves: His Untold Story. Page Turner Books International. pp. 527–528. ISBN 978-0-615-52430-6.
- ^ "Official [UK] Singles Chart Top 50: 11 July – 17 July 1963". OfficialCharts.com. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
- ^ "The 100 Best-Selling Singles of 1963 [in the UK]". Retrieved 12 February 2017.
- ^ Welcome to My World at AllMusic
- ^ "Jim Reeves Charts & Awards". Allmusic. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
- ^ "Thomson holiday advert 2008". YouTube. 10 January 2009.
- ^ "TV Commercial Archive Apple Arcade Welcome to My World recorded 03 08 2020". YouTube. 10 March 2021.
- ^ "Better Call Saul • S5E1 Soundtrack". WhatSong. 23 February 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ "Wickes Advert, Song & Voice-over – Welcome To My World – TV Advert Songs". www.tvadsongs.uk. Archived from the original on 6 August 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ "Godzilla x Kong : The New Empire – Official Trailer". YouTube. 3 December 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.